The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a toner agitator for a printer that may be connected to an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
It is often desirable to couple a printer to an IHS in order to print documents, images, and a variety of other printed matter known in the art. Some printers such as, for example, laser printers, include toner cartridges that hold the toner used to create the printed matter. Sometimes, the performance of the printer may suffer due to, for example, uneven flow of the toner inside the toner cartridge that may prevent the toner from being provided to the printer to allow printing. As a result, the toner cartridge may be discarded before the toner has been used up.
One solution used to achieve the full yield of the toner in the toner cartridge is to remove the toner cartridge from the printer and shake it. This solution is undesirable due to the need for human intervention, the subjective nature of such intervention, and the risk of toner spillage during the intervention. In addition, many users are unaware or uncomfortable with performing such a solution and instead replace the toner cartridge, resulting in a waste of available toner.
Another solution to this problem is to provide a mechanism that is internal to the toner cartridge to agitate the toner. However, this may require a relatively large toner cartridge and, due to the clearance required for the flow of the toner within the toner cartridge as well as the coagulation tendencies of toner, substantial toner may be remain within the toner cartridge even after operation of the mechanism. As such, it may still be required that the toner cartridge be removed from the printer and shaken in order to achieve the full yield of the toner in the toner cartridge, resulting in the problems mentioned above.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved toner agitator for a printer.